2013 and earlier-Honda Pilot Prices Paid and Buying Experience

qxh

pilotnj,

Do you mind sharing the name of the dealer?
We are looking for 05 EXL in NJ and the best offer is 400 over invoice so far.
Thanks.

javahound

hey, I'm just south of Philly in DE. You all gotta tell us what dealers are doing this! I know the one in Newark, DE isn't coming off msrp. How are these others doing on trades?

nwsea

kayak1, is it carprices.com?

wayne9269

hello there all. i was offered a price of $26,600 for a honda ex or $28,000 for the honda ex w/leather. both of those prices have dest. included in the price. my question to you people is, are those prices fair for this time of year? there doesn't seem to be any "incentives" except for near or at invoice prices yet. also, is the extra $1400 worth the leather option? inbetween on the whole leather thing for vehicles. thanks for all of your help.

bioteacher

Paid $26,202 for '04 EX.......added towing package and mud guards. Out of the dealership in only two hours. Flew up to MIke Pruitt HOnda in Akron. Buying the car was a painless experience. HOWEVER, two problems have cropped up. One on an OEM item and one on a dealer installed item. I will post the problems and how the dealership deals with me in a separate thread on Tuesday (after I call and talk to the salesman)

dv8

Hi cynic. I have been trying to buy a Pilot for about a year now in Minnesota. First a 2004 and now a 2005. I have not been able to convince anybody in the Twin Cities to come close to the price from Mike Pruitt which is invoice + $500. Not even after I added another $500 for airfare and my time. The last salesperson I dealt with, just sent me an email 2 days ago and told me I better book my trip to Ohio!! So, I am about to do just that. Airfare from Twin Cities to Cleveland is $238 on NWA and the salesperson from Mike Pruitt said they will pick me up from the airport. I got to tell you, the salesperson from Mike Pruitt has just been wonderful and you'll find others are saying the same thing on this board. I am also going to call a car transport company on Monday to see how much it would cost to have the car shipped here. I think last time I asked it was about $600 which is still below the price I could get here. Mike Pruitt dealership will also ship it for you in their enclosed trailer, but that was going to cost about $1200 to St. Paul which would have wiped off all the savings.

Any how, I hope this info helps you in deciding. But I really discourage you from buying from Minnesota dealerships when you can get such a better deal. If you like, we can see if we can get a better deal from Mike Pruitt and/or the transport company if we buy/ship 2 Pilots.

cynic

Thanks for the input dv8!

I have touched bases with 2 dealerships and I also get a feeling it would be quite expensive to buy it in Minnesota
Before committing to Mike Pruitt (and I am sure the experience would be wonderful) I want to touch bases with a few dealerships in South Dakota, Iowa and possibly Illinois as they would be closer ...

mja

8 weeks ago, I paid $28,761 ($500 over invoice, including delivery) for my 2004 EXL. With nearly 6k miles, I've averaged 20.7 mpg (obviously a lot of highway driving) with a range of 17.7 - 23.5.

Outside of a low pitch rumble off the muffer, it's been excellent, so far.

dv8

Hi Cynic. I have also checked out Carr's Honda in Chicago and they couldn't come close to MP Honda for 2005 models. Although they were pretty close to MP for the 2004 models during the past few months. Will you let me know what you find out when you check dealerships in Dakotas and Illinois please? I'd rather not go all the way to Ohio if I don't have to. Thanks.

cynic

Will do.

varmadp

Hello - Please let me know the name of the dealer for th Pilot. Thanks.

pilotnj

Sorry, The NJ invoice plus $300 dealer for 05 pilots does not want to be public with is price. I can e-mail info to you if you drop me a line at pilotnj05@hotmail.com

tidester

You may post the name of the dealership (but not contact info as prescribed below). Also, it's not a good idea to post your email address on a public forum. (Make it visible in your user profile instead.)

tidester, host

dv8

Hi cynic. I just talked to a car transport company which works with MP Honda and they quoted $525 for delivery of Pilot from Akron to St.Paul. He said he'll go down to $500/car for 2 vehicles. I also sent an email request for a price quote from Honda of Lisle, Illinois, as someone on the board suggested. I will let you know what quote I get from them.

dv8

Thanks toms1. I checked with Honda of Lisle and their "best, sale price" was $32,135 which is $15 more than MSRP! I think I'll go with MP Honda.

cynic

Hi dv8,

I am going to stop by Buerkle Honda either tomorrow night or wednesday night to test drive a Pilot again, and will make a decision whether to pursue it or not. If I do then we can discuss the shipping options.

Thanks!

malo_4

I am in New Mexico and I can't get dealers anywhere near me to budge on the MSRP for an '05 Pilot. I was even told by one dealer the best they could do on a '04 Pilot EX was $28,200!
Any suggestions? I did get a quote from MP in Ohio (I know pretty desperate) to see if they would match the price here but it looks like a no-go.

grey2

What is wrong with Honda/Minnesota, I have now succesfully bought both a 2005 Pilot EXL-DVD and now an Odyssey EX-L from Jay Honda in Cleveland Ohio. My local dealer practically walked me out the door. I paid 30,757.00 plus a 125.50 dealer fee for the 2005 Pilot. It is a shame I had to fly to Ohio to make a purchase. However, it was a great experience, the dealer paid for my taxi from the airport to their dealership and even gave me lunch.

bioteacher

I bought my PIlot from Mike Pruitt last week. The actual sales experience went quite smoothly. I have no complaints and would recommend THAT part to anyone. However, I would caution you about adding any accessories from the dealer. They improperly installed my towing package and now I will have to be without my new vehicle for at least a day in order to take it into my local dealer to have them correct the error that MP's service department made. If I knew that this would happen, I would simply have had the local dealer install the towing package here.

I've learned to buy the car there but have the local folks do the accessories for me.

suio

Several dealers in the twin cities area quoted me invoice price for 2004 Pilot today. Shop around.

dv8

Although invoice price for 2004 in Minnesota is good, MP Honda offered me $1000 below invoice for 2004 (I don't know if they have any left any more). And even after the $525 for shipping the car, you still come out ahead.

suio

Buying a new car by "mail-order" sounds little crazy to me. But I am interested in this approach. Can you explain the process (tax, title and registration etc.)? Does the delivery driver do the final checkout when the vehicle arrives? Do you pay a deposit or purchase the vehicle in advance?

dv8

Hi suio. Yeah, it is a bit crazy to buy a car by "mail-order" but probably no more than buying anything else via internet. Except you're spending $30,000! I have never done this, but here's how it works according to MP Honda's sales person. I call her up (or send an email) telling her exactly what car I want (model, trim, color, accessories, etc.) and give her a deposit (I can't remember if this is refundable or not). I can put the deposit on a credit card. As a matter of fact, I can put up to $3000 of the purchase price on the credit card (if you want to get airline miles, etc.). She finds the car and sends me the VIN along with an estimated time of arrival. You can either plan to go to pick it up, at which time you will have to pay the balance due in cash or certified check (or you can wire the money, but you can't use a personal check). Since you are buying from a different state, you will not pay Ohio sales tax. You will have to pay that when you go to get your MN tabs and register the car in MN.

You have at least a couple of other options for getting the car. You can have them deliver it in their covered trailer. This option is about 80 cents/mile and they calculate round trip to MN and back to Ohio. For me this added up to about $1200 which would have wiped off all my savings.

The other option is to have a car transport company pick up the car from the dealership and deliver it to you. This is a third-party company and you work with them directly. Although, MP Honda has been working with someone and they gave me the phone number for them. I called them and the price for delivery to my address in St. Paul is $525 ($500 for 2 cars and probably lower if we have more cars). I haven't gotten all the details yet, but I think using the transport company means that you and the transport company are responsible for the condition of the car. They are bonded and insured and MP Honda says they have been very good.

There are a couple of things you should know. Someone on this board had a bad experience with the Pilot being delivered to them in another state. However, the delivery person did try to solve the issue by calling the dealership but the buyer was unhappy and sent the car back and then the deal was off, I think. Some of the other people posting on this board felt the buyer had over reacted. That is for you to decide after reading the posted message. Most people seem to be flying to Ohio to pick up their car, but that's about $250 from MN and a 12-hour drive back. I'd rather pay another $300 and have the car delivered to my door. I figure I am taking the same risk whether I am driving the car for 12 hours or it's sitting on a truck. Maybe it's even less risky having it delivered vs. me driving the car back during possibly winter weather.

There was another posting on this board about buying accessories from Ohio and then having problems with the installation. They suggested buying all the accessories locally. I think there are some pros and cons on this. If I understand correctly, if you buy the accessories at the time you purchase the car, then the accessories are also covered by the vehicle warranty (I think this is true for Honda accessories, installed at the dealership at time of purchase of the car), so technically, even if you have any problems, you should be able to get it fixed at any Honda dealership. And the warranty is good for 3 years. Of course, buying locally, may give you more leverage if anything was installed incorrectly. But you may also be able to find better prices if you go outside of Honda dealers for the accessories (as people have posted on the Honda accessories board).

Sorry this note got so long, but I guess I had a lot to say after lurking on this board for almost a year!

Let me know what you decide.

markjenn

dv8 has a good post here with valuable information. But don't you have to close the sale and pay for the car up front before it is delivered to you? This is what is customary and if so, then there is decidely more risk to delivery than in pick up as the money has already changed hands.

For me, I will not let lose of $30K until I can inspect the vehicle, drive it, check the mfg date, do a cursory check for body damage, verify it has exactly the options I paid for, verify the odometer, etc. The dealer may be reputable, but if only 5% of deals have problems, that is a heck of a risk to run to save a few hundred dollars.

Of course, when I flew out and bought a car at an 2K mile away dealer (not a Pilot), I thought the drive back was one of the more pleasant experiences of my life - to get off the interstate and spend a couple days quietly exploring by myself back roads as I made my way home. What could be more fun?

- Mark

cynic

Hi dv8,

I bought a Pilot last night ... it should be built sometime within the next few days and delivered sometime in the first week of November.
I don't want to disclose the details publicly just yet, but if you let me know your email address I'll drop you more details.

Cheers!

dv8

Hi cynic. Congratulations on your purchase. I can't wait to hear the details. My email is in my profile. Please send the details as soon as you can. What color did you get?

cynic

Hi dv8,

Sorry, but your email is private, so I can't see it ... I got a silver EX-L.

cynic

Check your email.

esprikitik

hi,

been looking to upgrade my wife's 2003 CRV, could not find good price here in MD for LX 2005. Can you give dealer name?

Thanks

malo_4

I have a dealer that is offering me an '05 Pilot EX (cloth) for $28740, out the door cost. So it includes the TTL. What do you think? good deal or not?

qbrozen

That depends. We don't know your tax rate or registration fees.

kcdl1

Hi cynic, email me your purchasing of the 2005 Pilot EX-L experience and pricing info if you do not mind to share. I am also, interested in a 2005 EX-L. My email address is avialable for you to respond. By the way, Congrat on your purchase.

cynic

Hi kcdl1,

If you don't mind, I'll post my experience when I complete my purchase (~2 weeks from now). So far I am very happy with the process, but it is not yet complete

claire1

Hi All, I live in Florida (native Minnesotan). I received an email quote from Mike Pruitt Honda in Akron after reading this forum. I am very pleased with the quote and would like to know if they are honest in their negotiations. Did others sign a contract prior to traveling to Ohio to pick up the vehicle? I would like some input on what I need to do to secure the price they quoted me so when I go to pick up, the numbers do not change.

Thanks Much, Claire

Kirstie_H

Ask for an "out-the-door" price in writing. This should include the price of the vehicle and ALL fees.

They may not be able to include sales tax or registration, since you are out of state and may be required to pay those directly to the state revenue department - this varies from state to state, and in my state, this is the case.

However, the written price should include everything else - any advertising or documentation fees. I'm sure you'll get feedback from others who have purchased from that dealerships, but my advice is just general good practice to avoid any rip-offs or misunderstandings.

kirstie_h
Roving Host & Future Vehicles Host

rfeng1

I got my 2005 EX-L ( Leather, No DVD, NO NAV, No extras) at Stevens Creek Honda for $1200 over invoice. I probably could have saved $300 by driving 100 miles.

Invoice price $29,409 ($28,894 + $515 Destination)
MSRP$32,635

Price Paid $30,600
Extras: $45 doc fee + 255 DMV + ~2524 CA_TAX
Out of Door price $33424

Was offered Honda Care 7yr/100K/0 dedectible for $1800 - I balked and am getting it over the internet from an East Coast Honda dealer for $1100

The salesman was a pleasure to work with - did not try to force any extras - entire negotiating was done in less than 15 mins. He came back with a price of 2900 over MSRP to start with and immediately told me not to get alarmes. he asked me if I had done any research and for my price. I showed him Inv and MSRP and gave him my price. He took the info to the Manager inside and in two more trips we settled on the $30600 price.

If anybody needs details on the saleman I dealt with send me a pm/email and I will be more than happy to send you the information.

__________________
05 Pilot EX-L

bsimmons

I purchased an 05 Pilot at the dealership here in Norman Oklahoma yesterday.(Fowler Honda) I was surprised to get a nice discount and was pleased overall with the service.

echetham

I bought from MP honda (out of state buyer) and they were honest with me. Only thing in addition to the price was $100 doc fee and $25 temp tag fee. You can have them fax you a signed sales contract although they will probabley want a deposit.

malo_4

The quote I have received is $27,714+ttl, good deal?

bhead67

Was quoted $28150 for this vehicle at a Dallas Honda dealer. It seems like a reasonable deal. Any opinions would be appreciated.

malo_4

The quote I have received is $27,714+ttl, good deal?

kcdl1

That is fine. Looking forward to seeing your experience with the purchase.

abis

Hello,
I have bought a 2004 Pilot EXL from a local honda dealer in SC couple of days before. The dealer brought this Pilot from another dealer since the color was not available with them. Today, when I was checking the manual and other documents, found a loaner aggrement from the other dealer. The dealer has loaned this SUV for three days in Aug 2004! My dealer didn't tell me about it. I am concerned about it and felt I bought a used vehicle. The mileage on the vehicle is 176. Can I return this vehicle?

Thanks
Abis

habitat1

Tough call - you may need to check with a lawyer in your state. On the one hand, the dealer didin't disclose that it was used as a loaner. On the other hand, you took delivery of a new vehicle with 176 miles on the odometer without asking? What were you thinking?

Personally, I'd prefer one driver putting 170 miles on the vehicle as a loaner to about 30 drivers taking it for 5-6 mile demo test drives. But neither is acceptable to me, which is why I don't buy a "new" car with more than 3-5 miles on the odometer, period.

claire1

Thanks to all who answered my question about securing a price from Mike Pruitt Honda prior to traveling to Ohio. Your time and effort posting a message is much appreciated!

Claire

eagwheels

I was curious if you ever received the NJ dealer information As I was looking myself?

pchads

Hello

Do you have email ref....from dealer 100miles away
Anderson honda is telling me they will meet any price within150 mile radius..
they have quoted me 30500 for same car today..

thanks for your help

esprikitik

Nope, still awaiting reply.

Could use the info from any of you out there as lowest I could get here in MD are $ 25,900.00 for 05 LX.

Quote by MP Honda was $ 25,622.64, not worth the drive and back.

markjenn

A vehicle can be a "loaner" and still be sold as new (as is sometimes done for a serious buyer to let them take it home for the weekend), so if you signed papers with the correct odometer reading, you basically agreed to the car as represented.

Be careful of dealer trades - these situations happen often.

- Mark

jemmettg

Since I live in the Norman/OK City area, I'd be interested in hearing what you paid for your 05. I'm looking to buy a EX-L, and when I shopped for my 03 Pilot (which I will be selling or trading in) in 2002, Fowler was not interested in giving a discount.